A Possible Work Around Smoking Ban

By Dave Franzman, Reporter

Tools

By Daren Sukhram

Story Created: May 4, 2009 at 10:38 PM CDT

Story Updated: May 4, 2009 at 10:38 PM CDT

CEDAR RAPIDS - Iowa smokers are trying to find new ways to get around the state-wide smoking ban. That law prohibiting smoking in public places is still a sore point with many smokers and bar owners.

One entrepreneur is selling a system to legally let smokers puff away in public.

The tip glows cherry red. A puff produces a "smoke-like" vapor. And with a little practice, you might even blow a smoke ring.

But there's no fire or tobacco involved, so it's not a cigarette, and right now nobody's saying you can't use it in public.

"We've had people who've used them in university libraries...shopping malls and they sell these in kiosks in Texas," says Smokeless Delite distributor Dave Johnston.

Distributors can't legally use the popular name electronic cigarettes. Technically it's a personal vaporizer.

When a user inhales...the battery powered tube delivers a dose of nicotine in a flavored water vapor.

Despite what you see, there's no actual smoke here and no odor. Johnston says he's marketing his particular brand in bars, restaurants and other places that lost customers after real cigarettes got tossed out.

"Maybe it'll help to bring back some of the people that otherwise aren't going to the establishments because of the smoking bans," says Johnston.

The system comes in various nicotine strengths. Some people use it like nicotine gum as a way to cut back or stop smoking. But he's not allowed to make that claim

All Johnston will claim is with regular smoking in public no longer legal, he's getting some interest in this alternative.

The Iowa Attorney General's office is beginning to take a look at electronic cigarettes to see if there are any legal issues to using them in public.

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